Press reviews for: End of Life Care
from the foreword by Professor Dame Barbara Monroe, Chief Executive, St Christopher's Group
This important book describes practical ways for therapists, artists and arts therapists to set about delivering an effective professional offering in a wide variety of end of life care settings; ranging from outpatient services, inpatient units, the community and care homes and across all illnesses including dementia. The book is a pragmatic, realistic and forthright guide to the difficulties and rewards of being a rather unusual, sometimes isolated, often poorly understood professional; a sort of mythical tiger burning bright in the sometimes impenetrable forest of the efficient demands of medical and nursing structures…This is a brave book and now, more than ever, all practitioners in the field of end of life care need to initiate courageous conversations if we are to meet ever growing need.
Allan Kellehear, PhD, AcSS, Professor of Community Health, Middlesex University, UK
Hartley has produced a poignant, compelling and practical guide for therapists, artists and arts therapists who work, or wish to work, with people at the end of life. This book blends concerns about history and policy, with practical discussions about inter-professional working, self-care, and evaluation in work with dying, death, and bereavement. An essential reference for practitioners.
Jessica Rose, psychotherapist and author of Psychology for Pastoral Contexts: A Handbook (SCM) and Sharing Spaces?: Prayer and the Counselling Relationship (DLT)
In this wonderfully honest and realistic book, Nigel Hartley uses the experience of arts therapists working in end of life care to pose crucial questions for therapists, organisations and society in building a patient-led and effective service. He faces head on the particular issues raised by the current political and economic climate, and offers a wealth of practical advice.
Sarah Walker PhD, broadcaster, musician and writer
Nigel Hartley's book brushes aside the mystique of music and arts therapy, showing clearly how and why they work. As well as providing a full overview of current practice, he makes positive suggestions for encouraging teamwork and communication, and his highly readable style is shot through with compassion for patients, families and therapists themselves.
Dr Robert Twycross DM FRCP, Director of palliativedrugs.com Ltd.
An important account stemming from the Anniversary Centre at St Christopher's Hospice - open daily for 13 hours for patients, family, friends and the public. An amazing development from the traditional nurse-led 10am-3pm, Monday-Friday Day Centre. A great example of TEAM-work - Together Everyone Achieves More. For anyone who wants to get beyond the bedpan and the drug round, this is essential reading.
IAHPC (International Association for Hospice & Palliative Care)
This book would serve as a useful introduction to anyone working in end-of-life care or considering it. The first section of the book deals with history, policy and current challenges... The second part is a series of chapters that discuss most aspects of end-of-life care in a variety of settings... This is an insightful review of what working in end-of-life care is all about. Whilst directed to those from the creative arts, anyone who works in end-of-life care, or is considering it, will be better off for reading it.